Yellow

(C)2020 Dale DiMauro

Yellow is a challenging color to put down on the paper by itself. It can look out of place, weak or fake. On the other hand it can give warmth to a picture. 

Most of this watercolor has yellow in it. I use a lot of quinacridone yellow in creating the light green color of spring. There is yellow ochre in that warm patch in the middle. I used that because I wanted an opaque yellow which wouldn't get lost amongst all the greens. In retrospect, I could have pre-stained the paper yellow which would have projected a warmth or glow before I really started painting.

I like the distant tree with it's mottled shade projecting on the lawn. There is a bit of burnt sienna in that shadow.

As the summer season progresses I have noticed the yellow greens of spring become more blue greens until the foliage starts to turn. There are some exceptions to this observation particularly during droughts. In the early spring with the strong light some leaves actually appear transparent.